The Flying Fool

The Laughing Jester

"Mummy, look!"

Tap, tap.

"Mummy I will make you proud!"

Tap, tap.

"Mummy, save me."

Tap, tap.

"Alright you better shut it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been?

David was about to complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still eerily lifelike.

Then it clicked, the ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he back? Was he dead after all?

All of those thoughts, and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.

"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy."

David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"

"There, there. Get it all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed. It was quite disconcerting.

"All done now?" The apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.

Its clothes were quite weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it changed both color and shape.

The figure tilted its head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?

"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.

"Indeed"

Tap, tap, tap.

David flinched at the sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here, as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays into piracy)

Leaders and followers were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach yourself to someone else.

This was not so different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.

"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.

The figure gave a chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.

David looked at him puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was interrupted by a raised hand.

"Yes, yes you're a slow learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do that, you should feel dead honored"

David was having trouble following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."

But David didn't get to finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"

A pause, David was unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too"

Jester made a clock appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."

David was about to ask more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't convince David at all.

"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human.

And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.

"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.